The US Patent and Trademark Office will bolster its diversity efforts through recruitment and a potential expansion of the patent bar, the office’s director Kathi Vidal told Bloomberg Law in an interview on Monday.
The PTO plans to seek public comment on expanding the patent bar and on the potential creation of a design bar. The office is also planning to solicit input on expanding opportunities to practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the office’s administrative patent tribunal.
The initiatives are meant to help address prominent diversity gaps in the field of intellectual property.
Fewer than 22% of ...